Laundry basket



Jan. 7,1941. J CASTLEBERRY 2,227,702

LAUNDRY BASKET Filed June 24, 1.958 2 SheetsShee't l 4 Fig. 2 2e 7 4 Z q2/ 72 F4 fl if Inventor JACK CA STLEBERRY Jan. 7, 1941. J. CASTLEBERRY2,227,702

LAUNDRY BASKET Filed June 24, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 if g2 Fig. 6

' 77 91 7 3rwmtor By JACK CASTLE'BE'RRY '7? 9 5 2 5: 7a V (Bf egsPatented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAUNDRY BASKET JackCastleberry, Jasper, Ala., assignor of onethird to Robert Argo andone-third to W. C. Gardner, both of Jasper, Ala.

Application June 24, 1938, Serial No. 215,594

2 Claims. (Cl. 220- 1) 'This invention relates to laundry baskets, andFig. 4 is an end view; more particularly, though not exclusively, toFig. 5 is an exploded plan view of a modified laundry baskets used inhandling damp clothes form; during the laundering process. Fig. 6 is afront elevation ofthe form shown 5 One object of this invention is theprovision in Fig. 5; and of a laundry basket which shall be adapted toFig. 7 is an end view of the form shown in fit against and be readilyattached to and de- Fig. 6. tached from a washing machine or laundrytub, Referring to Fig. 1, I show my improved basket andwhich, when soattached, will not mar the I! mounted on a washing machine 12 inposition finish of the tub by scratching the paint from its to receiveclothes as they pass from the wringer 10 sides or otherwise damaging it.I3. It will be understood that the basket can be Another object of thisinvention is the provireadily hung on any type of laundrytub, as wellsion of a laundry basket which will fit comfortas against the side of amechanical washing ably against the body of a person when it is beingmachine.

15 carried, leave his arms and hands free, and at Referring to Figs. 2through 4 of the drawings, 15 the same time prevent the damp clothes inthe it will be seenthat the basket comprises upper basket from wettingthe persons body, or beand lower main frame members l4 and i6 joinedcoming soiled. at each corner thereof by vertical brace members Anotherobject of this invention is th pro- I1. To further strangthen the frame,I provide vision of a laundry basket which shall include d a al b ac mrs 19 across the ends. The 20 means t prevent soiling th d th th i hjunctions of all these wires are welded or soldered the basket is in useon a tub, being carried by a together, thus forming a light, strongframework. person, or resting on the ground or floor, The top and bottommembers I4 and it are bent A further object is the provision of a basketinwardly On e Side. s at 2| and 22, to form a which will readily andconveniently fold up for recessed pr i n 23, which recess fits ly 5shipping purposes or for storing. against the laundry tub or the body ofa person A further object of the invention is the prowhen the basket isbeing carried. At the po ts vision of a laundry basket having thefeatures of b d nd 22 of the members l4 and I6 I above enumeratedandwhich will b 1ight, du provide further diagonal members 2'! and verticalble and inexpensive. members 24 and 26 which serve to strenghten the 30Briefly, my invention comprises a frame formed curved recessed portion23 against longitudinal preferably of substantial wires, or the like,welded and tranSVeI'Se B S- or otherwise secured together to form arigid All the po inward be d 2! and 22 of the framework, the bottom,ends, and sides of which members I provide be sheathed hook are coveredwith reticulated metal, such as coarse members 23 and 29 Which are pt 0hook 35 screen wire. One side of the frame is curved in- Over 1Jhe Sidesf e laundry tub and thus hold wardly to form a recessed portion adaptedto fit the basket in place therein. It will be noted that around a Lndry mp, 1- th body of person these hooks 28 and 29 are so placed withrespect carrying the same, and is provided with an offset to straightand curved portions of the basket side 40 rubber-sheathed member whichholds the damp that the basket may be hung q y as We l 011.40 clothesvand the side of the basket out of contact the Straight Side Of alaundry tube a3 On o e havwith the side of the tub or the body of theperson ng a curved side. The hooks are loosely mounted carrying it.Convenient means for lifting and on e s l4 a d ay be readily p esseddown carryingthe basket are provided, as well as a into engagement Withthe 0f the tub, thus 5 means to prevent soiling of the clothes when theforming resilient a h-p e gagement. b k t is placed on the ground orfloor, therewith. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the My inventionfurther comprises the novel dedrawings, it will be seen that the hookmembers tails of construction and arrangement of parts 28 and 29 arepivotally mounted on the frame which are hereinafter more particularlydemembers l4 and may be readily swung around scribed, reference beinghad to the accompanying until they overhang the inside of the basket. 50

drawings, in which This leaves the curved side of the basket smooth Fig.1 is a diagrammatic plan view of my inand free of obstructions whichwould bear against vention in position on a washing machine; a personsbody when the basket is being carried. Fig. 2 is a plan View; The sides,ends, and bottom of the basket are 318 S e elevation; completed byfastening reticulated metal .30 or -55 other suitable covering to theframe. This covering preferably consists of coarse screen wire of aboutthree to six mesh. The wire is held in place on the frame by welding orsoldering, and may be so attached in as many places as the individualstrands cross the frame members, thus insuring a rigid construction.

Adjacent the lower main frame member I5, I provide a sheathed wire 3!,extending outwardly and offset from, but substantially conforming to,the curvature of the recessed portion 23. The ends of the wire arewelded or soldered at 32 and 33 to the frame member I6. Midway thelength of the recess 23 the wire 3| is bent inwardly, as at 34, andagain made fast to the main frame member I 6, thus giving a strong,three point contact attachment. When the basket is attached to the tub,the sheathed wire 3 I, being offset from the sides of the basket, servesto hold the basket away from the side of the tub and thus preventssoiling the clothes in the basket or damaging the side of the tub. Also,when the basket is being carried by a person, this wire rests againstthe body and prevents the wet clothes from coming in contact with theperson carrying the basket.

To facilitate carrying the basket, I fasten shoulder straps 36 to thefront and back sides and to the top frame members M, which straps areadjustable in length by means of buckles 3! to fit the individual user.The straps are fastened to the basket by means of snap-hook fasteners 35which may be easily removed and attached to the basket at any point.When the basket is in use on the tub the center portion of the strapsmay be dropped over the ends of the basket to get them out of the wayand to prevent them from being covered up by the incoming clothes. Inorder that the basket may be easily lifted, I provide enlargedhand-holds 38 and 39 at each end thereof. Legs 4| and 42, formedpreferably of heavy wire bent to shape, are fastened to the bottom sidesof the basket by welding or soldering to prevent soiling the clotheswhen the basket is set on the ground or floor.

Referring to Figs. 5 to 7 of the drawings, I show a modified form of myinvention in which the basket is adapted for ready assembly anddisassembly, whereby it is better adapted for shipping where space isimportant. Except in details hereinafter set forth, this modification issimilar to the one already described. In Fig. 5, which is an explodedplan view with some of the parts removed, the lower frame 43 is shown asmade from a single piece of wire bent round at each corner to form aring or bolt hole 44 and is welded at 45 to form a unitary frame member.The lower frame member is-curved inwardly at 41, as shown in theprevious modification, to adapt it to fit against the side of the tub,and has secured thereto a supporting clip 58 at the mid position of theinwardly curved portion, and another supporting clip 48 extendinginwardly fromthe rear. Each of these clips is provided with a bolt hole5|, the purposes of which will appear more clearly hereafter.

The rear-side of the basket has an upper frame member 52 and a similarlower frame member 53, each of which is bent at the ends to form an eyeor bolt hole 54 which is adapted, upon assembling, to match with therings 44 formed in the lower frame member 43. Also, intermediate itsends, the frame members 52 and 53 are each provided with a clip 55having a bolt hole 51 therein which matches with the bolt hole 5| of thelower frame member.

The front side of the basket has a lower frame member 58 curved inwardlyto conform to the inward curve 41 of the lower frame member and issheathed with a protective material 59, such as rubber. The ends of theframe member 58 are bent to form eyes 6| which match with the frontrings 44 formed in the lower frame member 43. Also intermediate itsends, the framemember 58 is provided with a supporting clip 62 having abolt hole -63 therein which matches with the bolt hole 5| of the frontof the lower frame member. The upper frame member 60 for the front sideof the basket 54 is similar in all respects to the lower frame member53, except that it may not be provided with a protective sheathing.

The ends of the basket are provided with upper and lower frame members66 and 61 which are similar to each other except that the upper framemembers are provided with a protective sheathing 58 intermediate theends to form handles for the basket. The ends of the members 66 and 67are each bent to form eyes 69 which match with the rings 44 inassembling.

In order to stiffen the basket, as well as to provide for its support, Iprovide legs H and 12 at each end, which are formed from a single pieceof wire bent in the form of a W, with uprightporticns 13 and 14 at eachside, which are welded or otherwise suitably joined to the upper andlower end frame members 65 and 61 near the ends thereof, and thusprovide stiffness for the ends and sides of the basket.

The bottom frame member 43 has soldered or otherwise suitably securedthereto, a bottom 15, which may be of reticulated metal or othersuitable material, and the side and end frame members likewise have eachsecured thereto a similar reticulated metal covering 17, each suchcovering, of course, being independent of the other, whereby the sidesand ends may be disassembled. As is well understood, the protectivecovering or sheathing 59 will be slit or otherwise opened at suitablepoints in order to secure the front covering to the lower side framemember 58.

The several parts are assembled by first placing the end frame members66 over the bottom frame member 43 with the eyes 69 matching with therings 44 in the lower frame member. The sides are then assembled withthe ends and bottom, the eyes 54 matching with the rings 44 andthe eyes69 of the end frame member. Through bolts 78 are then placed througheach corner of the basket and nuts 19 are screwed on at the bottom.Through bolts 8| extend through the holes in the clips 55 and 49 and areprovided with nuts 82 at the bottom. The upright portions 13 and T4 ofthe wire forming the legs prevent the sides from crushing downward whenthe nuts on the through bolts are screwed home. When thus assembled,there is provided a rigid, sturdy basket, which may be readilydisassembled and packed into a small package for shipping.

While I have shown my invention in but two forms, it will be obvious tothose skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptibleof various other changes and modifications, without departing from thespirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitationsshall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as arespecifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A laundry basket having a bottom frame member bent back upon itselfto form a bolt hole at each corner, upper and lower end frame membershaving bolt holes at each end matching the bolt holes formed of thebottom frame member, legs having upwardly extending portions joined tothe upper and lower frame members whereby to stiffen the ends of thebasket, upper and lower side frame members having bolt holes formed atthe ends thereof matching with the bolt holes of the lower framemembers, and through bolts passing through said bolt holes at the cornerof the basket to hold it in assembled position.

A laundry basket having a bottom frame member bent back upon itself toform a bolt hole at each corner, a clip secured to'the front and rear ofsaid bottom frame member intermediate the ends thereof and having a bolthole therein, end frame members comprising upper and lower transversewires bent at the ends to form an eye for a bolt matching with the boltholes at the corners of the bottom frame members, legs: having upwardlyextending portions joining the upper and lower end frame members wherebyto stifien the ends of the basket, upper and lower frame members at eachside of the basket comprising wires bent at the ends to form eyes forbolts and matching with the corner bolt holes of the bottom framemember, supporting clips intermediate the ends of the upper and lowerside frame members and each having a bolt hole matching with the boltholes intermediate the ends of the lower frame member, and through boltspassing through all the bolt holes at the corners and. at the sidesintermediate the ends, to join the bottom, front and sides together.

JACK CAS'I'LEBERRY.

